BEDBUGS - steamer ?

SuzieSue

blueorchid wrote: »

we opened their case on plastic in the hall, and on spotting the bug, bagged everything.

With hindsight it would be been best to unpack outside (for the benefit of anyone else who has come in to contact with bed bugs).

coffeehound

MimiJane wrote: »

We've had them twice in the last year due to regularly using public transport (ever since not having a car). Apparently this is one of the most popular ways of bringing them into your home.

Ah thanks, that's probably how they got into my place earlier in the year then since I've started using buses. They seem to have gone now without needing insecticide.

Auntie-Dolly

I'm just wondering what has the council got to do with it?

blueorchid_2

Auntie-Dolly: the council have a pest control department

Auntie-Dolly

I used to keep chickens and diatomaceous earth works well in eradicating red mite and it can also be used for bed bugs. It is a dry powder you brush in the crevices and it drys up the little critters. A gas powered weed burner also works wonders!

blueorchid_2

thanks MimiJane. what steam cleaner do you use? I was wondering about getting one.
I read that they need to get surfaces must reach a temperature range of 160-180°F to kill the bedbugs.
https://bedbugs.dev.umn.edu/node/126/steamers

Jimmithecat

My sister had an infestation recently and it proved to be a nightmare.
Treatment was not claimable on either travel or house insurance as there was no evidence of where they originated.
They were everywhere - picture frames, skirting boards. Mattresses had to be discarded.
Local council do not have facilities to deal with the infestation but could only recommend a company to do the treatment.
She opted for rentokil in the end as they guaranteed to clear the infestation - they were very thorough and ended up treating the house twice as they did not clear the first time.
I hope you have caught yours sooner and it is more straightforward to deal with

MimiJane

Sometimes local councils will treat an infestation, but others don't. Ours don't unfortunately and we used a local pest control company that I found through the NHS website, who charge a fraction of the price Rentokil charge, though I don't know if Rentokil may have been more effective. From extensive Googling, the bugs can go without feeding for about a year, so maybe they weren't all destroyed and multiplied again, or we're just very unlucky ... who knows! I'd love to know why the bugs seem to be attracted to certain people.

Blueorchid : I think you're right about the temperature required to kill the bugs with a steam cleaner. Must admit we haven't used ours yet on the carpet edges, but have used it in other areas and it seems fine. I'm worried about it taking the paint off the skirting boards, so maybe we'll try it in a small area to test it out.

We bought ours from Amazon : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aspectek-Comforday-Multi-Purpose-Pressurized-Accessories/dp/B01FUYZKVO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1492897290&sr=8-2&keywords=hand-held+steam+cleaner

Willing2Learn

blueorchid wrote: »

… what steam cleaner do you use? I was wondering about getting one.
I read that they need to get surfaces must reach a temperature range of 160-180°F to kill the bedbugs.
https://bedbugs.dev.umn.edu/node/126/steamers

MimiJane wrote: »

Blueorchid : I think you're right about the temperature required to kill the bugs with a steam cleaner. Must admit we haven't used ours yet on the carpet edges, but have used it in other areas and it seems fine. I'm worried about it taking the paint off the skirting boards, so maybe we'll try it in a small area to test it out.

We bought ours from Amazon : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aspectek-Comforday-Multi-Purpose-Pressurized-Accessories/dp/B01FUYZKVO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1492897290&sr=8-2&keywords=hand-held+steam+cleaner

Okay - Resurrecting an old thread as I have an infestation of bedbugs! I bought them home from my neighbours flat. I've been checking my local council website to check the price of pest control and they will charge £250 for the service over two visits. So I'm wondering how successful the handheld steam cleaner was in eradicating these pests? If that one did not work, then I was thinking of buying the Dupray DUP050UK Home Steam Cleaner instead for £200 and then use it to steam-clean both my flat and my neighbours too. It seems a good MSE option as the council will charge £500 for pest control of both flats.

So, how was the handheld steam cleaner? Any good? At £32.50, if it works, then that would be totally MSE!!

Fire_Fox

Willing2Learn wrote: »

Okay - Resurrecting an old thread as I have an infestation of bedbugs! I bought them home from my neighbours flat. I've been checking my local council website to check the price of pest control and they will charge £250 for the service over two visits ...

So, how was the handheld steam cleaner? Any good? At £32.50, if it works, then that would be totally MSE!!

The problem with DIY experiments is not having the skills and knowledge to effectively treat all 'at risk' areas, without contaminating areas that are clear. It would surely take days to steam every crevice and every surface of every possession across two flats with a small handheld gadget.

Meanwhile bed bugs or their eggs transferred to a communal corridor/ stairwell/ lift/ entrance lobby/ bin store/ your workplace could end up infesting other flats ... and later back to your flat. Please report the bedbug infestation (in writing, letter or e-mail) to the freeholder or managing agent of the apartment block.